The apparatus and method disclosed herein relates to a coolant measurement device for use in refilling or servicing a coolant system, such as an automobile coolant system. The coolant measurement device may be used with a bottle actuator assembly designed to operate in conjunction with a pressurized bottle, such as a refrigerant bottle. Additionally, the apparatus and system allows a non-professional to easily measure the temperature of the air conditioning vent air temperature while refilling to ensure that sufficient coolant has been filled.
Typical coolant systems, such as those found in an automobile air conditioner, include three main components—a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator. A compressor is a pump driven by a belt attached to the engine's crankshaft. Refrigerant is drawn into the compressor in a low-pressure gaseous form. Once inside the compressor, a belt drives the pump pressurizing the gas which thereby gets hot by absorbing the surrounding heat.
Conversely, as the pressure of the gas decreases, the gas temperature decreases. This expansion of the refrigerant gas in a coolant system acts to cool the system containing the refrigerant. Air is then blown over the cooled system into the cabin of the automobile.
In such an air conditioning unit, the ability of cooling provided using the compression and expansion of a gaseous refrigerant will vary depending on the level of refrigerant present in the system. For numerous reasons, refrigerant may slowly leak from the air conditioning system. As such, an automobile air conditioning system may require routine monitoring of the refrigerant level or pressure and periodic re-charging the refrigerant.
To allow re-charging of the refrigerant, automotive air conditioners are generally provided with a service port to permit the addition of refrigerant as well as to permit the inspection of the level of refrigerant in the system. Although such re-charging and inspection is typically performed by service professionals, a significant number of automobile owners prefer to perform routine maintenance on their own vehicles, in part due to the savings obtained.
One standard tool used by service professionals for re-charging refrigerant and measuring pressure or other parameters in automobile air conditioners is a set of manifold gauges. This tool typically includes three hoses and two gauges; wherein one hose connects to a low pressure service port; one hose connects to a high pressure service port; and a third hose connects to the source of refrigerant. The gauges are then used to measure the pressure at the service ports. Although manifold gauges may be a standard tool used by service professionals, a number of disadvantages may reduce their popularity among general consumers. These disadvantages include: being complicated to use; requiring the user to know the approximate ambient temperature; requiring a user to look up the pressure readings of the gauges on a chart to determine if there is sufficient refrigerant in the system; presenting a high up-front costs of equipment that is infrequently used. An innovative way for providing a re-charging of refrigerant and measuring the pressure of coolant systems using an adaptable bottle actuator assembly capable of interoperating with various forms of pressurized bottles is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/680,066, the specification of which is incorporated by reference.
Prior art systems disclose methods and devices for measuring the temperature of the coolant in the engine. However, for most non-professionals, this remains a difficult task. Additionally, measuring temperature of the coolant at the service port is not reliable for all vehicles. Accordingly, there is a need for replacing traditional measuring gauges which are difficult to use as the user must know the ambient temperature. Furthermore, there is also a need to replace gauges that measure the temperature and/or pressure at the port of refilling as different makes and models of vehicles may have different temperatures and/or pressures for a user to be aware of. Therefore, there is a need to measure the temperature at the vehicle air conditioning vents to ensure that the sufficient coolant has been filled in the coolant system.
Various apparatus and system embodiments of the present invention may be used that are adaptable to a bottle actuator assembly for use with various pressurized bottles. Embodiments of the present invention allow a consumer to determine the sufficiency of the refrigerant level in an automobile air conditioner, and to add refrigerant as needed. Additional advantages of embodiments of the invention are set forth, in part, in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from the description and/or from the practice of the invention.